Conventionally, a disk film is taken out of a cartridge and reset in a separate automatic developing machine to be processed utilizing a cartridge opener described in for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,208,116 and 4,248,564, and "All about Kodak Disk Film" (pp. 26-41, Shashin Kogyo, April, 1982).
As a type with which a cartridge opener is installed in an automatic developing machine and disk films are continuously taken out of a cartridge and processed, various applications have been made related to the application made by these applicants such as Patent Application Nos. 297847/l985, 21860/1986, 70083/1986, 213892/1987, Utility Model Nos. 138087/1987, and 138088/1987.
The inventors attribute the reason of low popularity for disk films, in spite of their numerous advantages, to slowness in processing service due to the low installation rate of automatic developing machines for disk films. Based on such a recognition, they have devoted themselves to research on a compact automatic developing machine for disk films which satisfies requirements such as small processing amount, prompt processing, and compactness of the machine. This invention is one of the achievements of such research.
If proliferation of compact automatic developing machine is tried by installing such machines in the relatively small storefront of DPE service shop or camera shop, it is expected that a remarkable difference in the number of films processed will occur depending on the place of installation and hour of the day. Therefore, even if the number of disk films which can be processed is only one, it is possible to shorten the processing time as a whole by making the succeeding disk film stand by in the middle of the processing step, for example, at the step after taking such a film from a cartridge.
With a type of unit in which a disk film is stored one by one and processed one at a time or in turn, if the processing time per film is within 5 minutes, a considerable number of films can be processed even if the unit is a compact one.
In order to realize the above, it is necessary to effectively and automatically control setting of the cartridge in the unit, operation start of the cartridge opener, completion of removal of a disk film, countermeasures for malfunction, etc.
This invention has been made in consideration of the above conditions. Its main objective is to provide and improve an automatic developing machine which continuously supplies disk films while storing them in a cartridge, especially its operation control mechanism.
Moreover, in the case of photosensitive materials, whether it is a disk film or not, it is necessary to transfer the material to another light-tight structure or place it in a black box after removing it from a cartridge or magazine.
However, in a system where a compact automatic developing machine is installed in a storefront, the developing machine is not placed in a dark room. In this case, the disk film whose cartridge has been broken can not be removed from the machine in an undeveloped condition.
Therefore, if a cartridge opener operates incorrectly and a disk film is not taken out from a cartridge, it is necessary to provide a means which safely takes out the disk film together with a cartridge from the machine.
In addition, the inventors have found out that the disk film presently on market has slightly different adhesive strength of the two plates which constitute a cartridge depending on the manufacturer, which sometimes resulted in malfunction of a cartridge opener. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a safety measure for such a condition.
In consideration of the foregoing another objective of this invention is to provide a cartridge opener which is equipped with a mechanism to safely take out a disk film contained in a partly broken cartridge outside the machine if a cartridge opener functions incorrectly or breaking of a cartridge is not properly done depending on the manufacturer of disk film and an automatic developing machine equipped with such a cartridge opener. The objective and profits of this invention are clarified in the following descriptions and the attached drawings.